Top of the Tree: 121

This edition of Top of the Tree is something many of you have been waiting for. The time has finally come to focus on the Chinese medium tanks. These special vehicles are perhaps slightly underrated in the community and you don’t see that many of them driving around, at least compared to tanks of other nations. However, in good hands, the Chinese mediums can become some of the best support vehicles to roam the battlefields.

If you want to test these magnificent machines, then follow the research line leading to the 121 during the next two weeks and enjoy great discounts and credit income bonuses:

30% discount on purchase and 15% more credits earned with the following Chinese vehicles:

Use this opportunity to earn extra credits while driving these monstrous medium tanks, or get them for 70% of their normal value!

These bonuses will be available from 1st September 07:10 until 15th September 07:00 CEST (UTC +2).

121

“Let me share with you some old Chinese wisdom – one shell at a time!”

Vehicle Overview

The Chinese 121 is a real beast in its class. This is mostly due to the fact that it is equipped with a powerful 122mm gun – a calibre more commonly expected on a heavy tank. It comes as a no surprise then that this tank boasts the highest alpha damage value and second highest DPM among Tier X medium tanks. Moreover, the armament doesn’t make it slower or less manoeuvrable than other mediums in its Tier. In addition, the 121 boasts a very sturdy rounded turret, which can deflect a great deal of shots.

The vehicle has only three noticeable disadvantages: first of all, the powerful gun comes at the price of horrible dispersion, slow aiming time and low shell velocity. Secondly, even though the 121 can keep up with other Tier X mediums in terms of speed and manoeuvrability, the acceleration can be described only as mediocre and at times the vehicle struggles in reaching its top speed. Last but not least comes the disadvantage which is common for most Chinese vehicles: the virtual lack of any gun depression whatsoever.

As always, if you want to make a vehicle work, you need to play according to its characteristics. The lack of gun depression makes it next to impossible to use it in hilly terrain, so you should stick to flat areas, possibly with some low forms of cover to hide your hull behind. The bad aiming and dispersion somewhat forces you to shorten the distance to your target in order to make your fire effective, but the tank’s solid turret and low profile make brawling a viable option for the 121. Of course, being a medium tank you shouldn’t rush enemy heavy tanks head-on, regardless of how good the gun or the turret is. Your primary role is still that of a support vehicle, so let your heavies engage the enemy first before making your move.

The 121 is also a very valuable addition to any wolf pack due to its unparalleled alpha damage. The enemy will generally not expect that kind of firepower coming from a medium tank, so once you start firing those shells, you will have a good chance of causing panic in the target of your group. Needless to say, having that factor on your side can greatly improve the effectiveness of your wolf pack.

Tank Tip: As your engine’s chance of fire is only 12%, you may want to consider using High Quality Oilas one of your consumables. This way you’ll improve the vehicle’s acceleration a little bit, which in turn can help you to keep up with the more dynamic mediums on your team and also to get out of sticky situations faster. However, if you go for this option, consider investing in theFirefightingskills at some point as well. Even though the 121 does not burn too often, when this does happen, not having theFire Extinguisher with you can mean either being destroyed rapidly, or having your modules horribly damaged.

In order to maximise your performance on the battlefield, we suggest installing the following equipment :

Vertical Stabiliser Mk 1

Large-Caliber Tank Gun Rammer

Enhanced Gun Laying Drive

In addition, your crew members should learn the following skills:

Commander

Gunner

Driver

Loader/Radio Operator

As always, please consider the setup for both the equipment and crew skills as suggestions. Feel free to experiment on your own and choose what you think works best for you.